After seeing a friend’s Facebook status the other day, I chose to write about how “I don’t have time” versus “It’s not a priority” relates to God’s invitation to being…
Based on the comments I received on the theme of last Sunday’s message, I get the sense that many of you are living the harried life! Several of you spoke of how the shaken, cloudy water resonated with you. I know what you mean. But where does it go from here?
It’s one thing for us to commiserate, but quite another to do something about the problem. That’s the hard part, isn’t it? Most of us simply shrug our shoulders and say, “I don’t have the time,” when in reality, what we might better say is, “It’s not a priority.”
I’ve often wanted to try an experiment. (I’ve wanted to, but have regularly said, “I don’t have the time!”) I’d love to take a typical day and chronicle 
everything – everything – I do, and write it down so I could see where my time is really being spent. It wouldn’t just be writing down “work” from 9 to 5 (or whatever), but denoting exactly what comprised that “work”. Something tells me that if any of us did that, we might be a trifle surprised, maybe even humbled, by the results. But that would be a great way to begin the process of prioritization.
Hopefully, you want to make time to just “be” with the Lord. Rather than say, “I don’t have time to just ‘be’ with the Lord,” try saying, “I don’t make it a priority to just ‘be’ with the Lord.” Ouch. Trouble is, we often find ourselves with an even odder conundrum: we don’t make it a priority to re-order our priorities. Maybe that’s the place to start.
Even if you don’t bother to try my little experiment noted above, clear an hour from your schedule. Sit in a quiet place, in a comfortable, upright position. Take a notebook, or a sheet of paper, and write down the major things that are part of a typical day, and a typical week, for you. There will be sub-categories, of course, but among your major categories might be such things as sleeping, eating, working, spending time with people you love, and having fun. How would you prioritize these?
Clearly, earning a living is important, unless you’re already retired (which leaves you with more free time, at least in theory). Sleeping is also important, since you need rest in order to be able to function fully. Spending time with people you love matters, too, because your marriage (if you are married) is foundational not just to your own family but to all of society; your kids and other family members are important, too. And we all need fun once in a while. So where do we fit God into this scenario?
Ideally, God is part of every part of your day (and he is, whether we realize it or not). But where do we fit intentional time with the Lord into this picture?
Something else you should gauge among the things you do in the day is the time you waste. Most of us waste some time during each day; some of us are really good at it! A friend of mine, who was struggling to find enough time to spend with the Lord, decided to cut out the 11:00 news at night, which, she reasoned, sent her to bed flustered anyway. That produced a minimum of an extra three-and-a-half hours each week that she could spend with the Lord.
I’m confident that each of us, if we see time with God as a priority instead of just another thing to add to the list, can deepen our walk with the Lord through quality time sitting in his presence. May God bless you as you work on your priorities!
Passionately His 